Finding Balance and Strength

Let's be honest. I'm a very ambitious, goal-driven, motivated individual. If I don't have a goal for a particular task, it's not worth doing for me. This sometimes leads me to bite off more than I can chew.

For the longest time, I was physically active 7 days a week. Yes, seven days﻿. Crazy, right? Two private dance lessons a week, one dance technique class, a ballet class, and four karate classes – including one right before ballet on Tuesdays. However, that started to take a toll – both physically and mentally.

So, after a conversation with someone I trust with my life, and is always bluntly honest with me – I dialed it back. I dropped ballet, went down to one private dance lesson, and took a rest night. Initially two rest nights, but I've dropped that back down to one.

And you know what? It helps. I have been calmer at work. My motivation has been at an all-time high. Slowly, my energy levels are returning to that "Energizer Bunny" level I had when I was training for my 3rd dan a couple of years ago. This will help with my strength training.

"But Miriam, aren't you already physically strong?", I hear you ask. To a point. Yes, I have built a lot of muscle strength from over a decade of karate training. However, it doesn't necessarily translate over to my other passion – ballroom dance. I've hit a plateau there. Through analysis with my teacher (who is also my partner), I need to work on my strength. I need to hit those lines sharper, stay on the balls of my feet longer, and jump higher.

So, it's back to a brick-and-mortor gym for me for weight training. The plan is to go two-three times a week. I've been graciously given some upper body weight tips from my sensei, but I'm totally lost on lower body. If you are reading this, what are your favourite core and lower body strengthening exercises?

So, here's to my new journey of physical strength. I've got another dance competition at the end of June, and I want to show a complete transformation. But for that, I need accountability partners – both in person and online. Who wants to help with that?

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1 thought on “Finding Balance and Strength”

For legs, I love exercises with closed therabands. I do a lot of box walks, “star points” and squats with them. The bands have different resistances (I use two different ones), so it’s always possible to challenge yourself.

For core, nothing beats planks–but I do dynamic ones–lifting one arm at a time and holding for 2-3 seconds while keeping my hips stable.

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Who is Miriam?

Miriam is a web developer, specializing in WordPress, with almost 15 years of experience. She is also a 3rd degree black belt, latin ballroom dancer, and clarinetist. She is passionate about the WordPress community, and helping others get involved.